The Luna He Threw Away

Preparation For The Moon Festival

Elena's

"Pick up the pace, Omega! Those crystal flutes aren’t going to polish themselves!"

Tanya’s voice cut through the humid, steam-filled air of the palace pantry like a whip. I didn't look up from the basin of warm soapy water. I kept my fingers moving, carefully wiping down the fragile glass stems intended for the upcoming banquet.

"I’m moving as fast as I can, Tanya," I replied, my voice flat, stripped of the hope it had carried just twenty-four hours ago.

"Well, move faster," Tanya scoffed, leaning against the doorframe and inspecting her manicured nails. "The entire northern territory is arriving in less than a week. The Alpha King expects absolute perfection. No mistakes. Especially not from the help."

Two other she-wolf servants, Sarah and Mina, hurried past carrying heavy trays of silver cutlery. They cast worried glances at me but quickly averted their eyes when Tanya glared at them.

"Is it true, Tanya?" Sarah asked, her voice hushed but buzzing with excitement as she set her tray down. "Is Alpha Nikolai really going to announce his courtship with Lady Bridget at the climax of the festival?"

Tanya smirked, her chest puffing out. "Of course it's true. My father sits on the Alpha King’s inner council. He said the dowry negotiations are already finalized. Lady Bridget’s pack is bringing three major trade routes and five hundred elite warriors into the alliance."

"But what about..." Sarah hesitated, her eyes flickering toward me for a split second before she lowered her voice even more. "...what about the fated mate bond? Everyone knows Elena is—"

"A fated mate bond means nothing if the Alpha refuses to claim it," Tanya interrupted loudly, making sure her words echoed off the pantry walls. "The Moon Goddess gives a wolf a match, but a future King has a duty to his people. Nikolai isn’t a fool. He’s not going to ruin his lineage for a disgraced Omega who can't even lead a hunting party."

My grip tightened around the crystal flute I was holding. A sharp, burning ache flared in my chest, right where the golden thread of the mate bond lived. It pulsed, heavy and protesting, as if trying to deny everything Tanya was saying.

He wouldn't, I told myself, the desperate chant returning to my mind. He promised me in his room. He said he keeps me here for a reason. He’s just playing the political game until he takes the throne.

"Elena, go down to the lower laundry vaults," Martha’s voice interrupted, her sudden appearance at the pantry door breaking the tension. She shot Tanya a stern look. "The head seamstress needs someone to carry the formal linens up to the royal guest suites."

"I haven't finished the crystal yet, Martha," I said softly, wiping my wet hands on my apron.

"Sarah can finish the crystal," Martha said firmly, gesturing for me to leave. "Go on, child. Now."

I nodded gratefully, eager to escape Tanya’s suffocating arrogance. I hurried down the winding stone corridors, descending deep into the cooler, subterranean levels of the palace where the large laundry and tailoring vaults were located.

The air down here smelled heavily of lavender, starch, and fresh steam. As I approached the main tailoring room, the heavy oak doors were slightly ajar. The sound of excited chatter and the rustle of expensive silk echoed from inside.

"Careful with the hem, Linda! If a single silver thread is loose, the Alpha King will have our heads!"

"Oh, it's absolutely breathtaking, Madam Greer. Lady Bridget is going to look like a true goddess standing beneath the full moon."

I froze outside the door, my breath catching in my throat. I pressed my back against the cold stone wall of the corridor, my heart hammering violently against my ribs.

"The Silver Fang Luna ceremonial dress is always a masterpiece," another voice chimed in—it was one of Lady Bridget’s personal maids. "But seeing it tailored specifically for her... it’s official, isn't it? The future Alpha King has made his choice."

"Of course he has," Madam Greer, the head royal seamstress, sighed with an air of satisfaction. "The fitting was booked by Nikolai’s personal Beta three weeks ago. He gave us the exact measurements himself. Midnight blue silk with real silver wolf-crests embroidered along the bodice. It’s the traditional gown of the future Luna."

My hands began to tremble. Three weeks ago? Nikolai had been at the northern border three weeks ago. He had booked a Luna dress fitting for Bridget while he was away from me, while I was writing him letters telling him how much I missed him.

"What about the Omega?" Bridget’s maid asked, her tone dripping with malicious curiosity. "The one everyone whispers about? The fated one?"

Madam Greer let out a sharp, dismissive laugh. "Elena Winny? Please. A fated bond doesn't pay for silk, dear. She’ll be standing in the servant's gallery where she belongs, watching a real Alpha female take the crown. Now, help me pin this veil. We need it ready for the dress rehearsal tomorrow."

The walls of the corridor seemed to close in on me. The air became thick, suffocating, and impossibly heavy. I stumbled backward, away from the door, my hands gripping my head as the words echoed in my mind over and over again.

The fitting was booked three weeks ago.

He gave us the exact measurements himself.

"Elena?"

I jumped, turning around to see an older Beta guard standing at the end of the hall, holding a clipboard. He looked at my pale face and my shaking hands, his expression softening with a flicker of pity.

"Are you alright, girl?" he asked.

"I'm... I'm fine," I lied, my voice cracking as I forced myself to stand straight. "I was just... looking for the formal linens for the guest suites."

"They're in the adjacent vault," the guard said, pointing down the hall. "Go get them and head back upstairs. It’s getting busy down here."

"Thank you," I whispered.

I walked into the linen vault, my movements entirely mechanical. I picked up a heavy basket of starched sheets, but my mind was completely blank, numb with a sudden, freezing thought.